Evaluation of Clonal Selections of Merlot, and Performance of
Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Viognier in Southern Oregon
Barney Watson, Department of Food Science and Technology
David Sugar and Canno Vasconcelos, Department ofHorticulture
Oregon State University
Objectives:
The objectives ofthe trial are to evaluate Merlot clones and the varieties
Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Viognier for production characteristics, maturity and
fruit composition at harvest, and wine composition and wine quality in order to evaluate
their potential for commercial wine grape production in warmer wine growing regions in
Oregon. The wines in the first year ofthis trial from vines in their fourth leaf are being
produced as demonstration trials to be evaluated by industry members at regional
meetings. As the trial matures, future proposals will be presented for wine production
and analysis of replicate lots of the clones and varieties and for sensory evaluation by the
Food Science Sensory Laboratory .
Introduction :
A wine grape varietal trial which included 22 varieties was established in western
Oregon from 1969 to 1974 at vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley, the Umpqua
Valley, and the Rogue Valley. Maturity evaluations and experimental wine production
and analysis ofthe varieties were conducted from 1976 to 1982 at the pilot plant winery
facilities at the Department ofFood Science and Technology at Oregon State University .
In this study Merlot was identified as a recommended variety for Oregon winegrowing
regions with heat unit accumulations of 2,400 degree days or greater, including warmer
sites in the Umpqua Valley, the Rogue Valley, and the Illinois Valley, and eastern Oregon.
At cooler sites in western Oregon Merlot was characterized by frequent poor fruit set and
low and inconsistant yields (Lombard,1986) . More recently differences among Merlot
clones have been described in California studies including differences in average yields,
number of berries per cluster, cluster weights, and in wine color, phenols, and sensory
characteristics (Bettiga, 1995 ; Roberts, 1995).
In 1989 a winegrape varietal trial was established at the Southern Oregon Research
and Extension Center to evaluate a range ofwarmer climate winegrape varieties for
Oregon. The trial included 18 varieties and numerous southern French and Italian
varieties. The varieties were evaluated for production characteristics and fruit
composition at harvest. Experimental wines were produced and analyzed during three
vintages (1994-1996) by the OSU experimental winery and the wines were evaluated by
industry members at regional meetings. Several ofthe varieties were identified as
promising for commercial production, including Merlot, Tempranillo, Syrah, Sangiovese,
and Viognier (Sugar, 1996) .
A clonal and varietal trial was established with Wine Advisory Board funding in
1998 in southern Oregon which includes nine clonal selections ofMerlot and one clone
each of Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Viognier at several grower cooperator sites.
The phenology, production, maturity characteristics, and growing conditions for 2001 are
presented in Evaluation ofclonal selections ofMerlot in southern Oregon and
performance ofSangiovese, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Viognier at various locations in
southern Oregon, Sugar, Vasconcelos, and Watson.
Progress Report:
Fruit composition at harvest
In 2001, 9 Merlot clones and the varieties Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Syrah, and
Viognier were harvest from Quail Run Vineyards in Talent, Oregon and delivered to the
Department of Food Science and Technology in Corvallis. Approximately 100-1251bs of
each was processed and fermented to produce demonstration wine lots. The fruit was in
excellent condition and fully ripened. Must analysis at harvest is shown in Table 1 .
Overall, Brix levels were moderately high, titratable acidities low, and pH's moderate. The
low acidity at harvest was primarily due to low malic acid content due to respiration of
malate during the very warm growing conditions in 2001. The malate content at harvest
for the Merlot clones was 1 g/L or less . The exception to this was the variety Sangiovese
which typically has higher acidity and lower pH under warmer conditions . Viognier had
moderately low acidity and low pH at harvest.
Wine production and analysis
Red varieties were crushed, destemmed, 50ppm sulfur dioxide added, inoculated
with yeast and fermented on the skins at 25-32° C, punched down 2 X daily and pressed
at dryness after 7 days on the skins. Viognier was pressed from the skins and fermented
at 180 C. The new wines were racked off the gross yeast lees and inoculated with
malolactic bacteria (except Viognier). After completion ofMLF the wines will be racked,
cold stabilized clarified, and bottled with the addition of 25 ppm sulfur dioxide. New
wines analysis includes percent alcohol, titratable acidity, pH, color intensity,
anthocyanin content, phenolic content, residual sugar, and volatile acidity. Analysis of
new wines is shown in Tables 2 and 3.
Alcohol levels were relatively high, titratable acidities low, and pH's moderately
high due to the advanced state ofmaturity at harvest and the warm growing season.
Sangiovese had higher TA and lower pH than the Merlot clones or the other red varieties.
Tempranillo had the lowest TA and highest pH for the red varieties and is known to be an
earlier ripening variety. 'All the Merlot clones and the Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and Syrah
had excellent color intensity in 2001 with relatively high anthocyanin and total phenolic
content.
Sensory Evaluation
The wines will be presented at regional meetings for industry sensory evaluation
in the summer of 2002.
Literature Cited:
Bettiga, L.J. 1995. Comparison of Merlot and Chardonnay clones in Monterey county:
A preliminary report. Proceedings ofthe International Symposium on Clonal Selection.
American Society for Enology and Viticulture. pp .93-95 .
Lombared, P.B., B .T. Watson, D.A. Heatherbell, and R. Garren . 1986. Production,
maturity, and wine composition of winegrape varieties in western Oregon. Circular of
Information 701. June 1986. Agricultural Experiment Station, Corvallis .
Roberts, D, and R. Blazer. 1995 . The interaction of crop level and clone on the enological
and viticultural characteristics ofMerlot . Proceedings of the International Symposium on
Clonal Selection. American Society for Enology and Viticulture.pp.133-136 .
Sugar, D., P. Lombard, and B.T. Watson . 1996. Winegrape variety trial in southern
Oregon. February 1996. Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station .pp.6974.
Table 1 .
Clones*
M1
M3
M6
M8
M9
M11
M12
M14
M181
2001 Merlot Clones Must Analysis at Harvest
Brix
TA
23.4
22.4
23.1
23.1
23.2
23.3
23
23
23.5
pH
5.25
5.30
5.53
4.16
5.38
4.90
4.45
5.15
5.86
Malate
3.31
3.35
3.38
3.61
3 .48
3.68
3.58
3.41
3.41
*Quail Run Vineyards, Talent, OR
2001 Must Analysis at Harvest
Variety*
Viognier
Tempranillo
Syrah
Sangiovese
Brix
g/l oog_
23.4
21 .8
23.8
24
TA
9AL
5.50
4.88
5.80
7.65
*Quail Run Vineyards, Talent, OR
pH
3.2
3.69
3.29
3.43
0.61
0.64
0.78
0.72
1
0.59
0.56
0.66
0 .67
Table 2.
Clones*
M1
M3
M6
M8
M9
M11
M12
M14
M181
2001 Merlot Wine Analysis
Alcohol
%
TA**
glL
14.7
14.2
13.6
13.6
13.8
14.1
13.6
14.2
14 .2
pH**
5.2
4 .95
5.85
5
5.6
4.95
4 .9
5
5.2
3.68
3.74
3.72
3.93
3.74
3.86
3.83
3 .88
3.8
*Quail Run Vineyards, Talent, OR
**pre malolactic fermentation
2001 Wine Analysis
Variety*
Viognier
Tempranillo
Syrah
Sangiovese
Alcohol
%
TA
g/L
13.8
13.4
13.8
14.6
*Quail Run Vineyards, Talent, OR
pH
4.9
3 .8
5
7.2
3.18
4.11
3.89
3.48
Table 3.
Clone*
M1
M3
M6
M8
M9
M11
M12
M14
M181
2001 Merlot Wine Analysis
Phenols
_mWL -
Anthocyanin
mg/L
2750
2780
2940
3010
3440
3240
2790
3450
4190
Color Intensity
520+420nm
399
392
396
354
386
364
354
349
417
8.9
9.19
10.11
8.55
9.45
8.3
7.9
8.21
9.83
Hue
4201520
0 .642
0.653
0.636
0.778
0.644
0.722
0.71
0.75
0.652
*Quail Run Vineyards, Talent, OR
2001 Wine Analysis
Variety*
Tempranillo
Syrah
Sangiovese
Phenols
-9L
Anthocyanin
m L
2830
2980
4520
*Quail Run Vineyards, Talent, OR
Color Intensity
520+420nm
475
526
580
7.46
10.87
15.11
Hue
4201520
0.715
0.622
0.511